Dominica’s President calls for regional mechanisms that can swiftly assist countries hit by hurricanes

​Whilst attending the 16th Conference of Governor-Generals and Presidents held in St Kitts from April 9 to 12, 2018, Dominica’s President Charles A Savarin spoke to ZIZ news, and gave an update on Dominica’s progress.  Climate change and the region’s response were among the topics discussed during the working sessions of the 16th Conference of Governor-Generals and Presidents at the Marriott Resort this week.
 
Savarin said there must be a regional mechanism in place so that neighboring islands can offer swift assistance to countries that are hit by hurricanes. He also thanked St Kitts & Nevis for the assistance given after Dominica was severely impacted by Hurricane Maria. President Savarin said reconstruction efforts are underway and essential services are up and running.
 
He added, “We’ve been able to get our children back into school; we have telecommunications set up but mostly cell phones all over the island. The land lines have not been restored by and large. There are landlines in some of the communities but not island-wide. We have restored electricity in parts of the Island, but the larger part of the island is without electricity. We have restored water to almost every community and we are in the process of reconstructing roofs, homes and public facilities,” he said.